19860812 Bhagavad-gītā 15.7

The following is a lecture given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami on August 12, 1986, Port Dickson, Malaysia. The class begins with a reading from the Bhagavad Gītā, Chapter 15, verse 7.

Through different practices of Bhakti Yoga they become perfect, this is known as sādhana siddhi. And also, the yogis who do the process of Yoga and they also achieve some kind of perfection. They can eradicate the effect of karma, or the previous activities. They can perform some miracle.

If all these great souls due to connection with the Supreme Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa, they are able to in this way through their meditation, through their practice of Yoga, they are able to achieve perfection. So, what to speak of Kṛṣṇa.

Kṛṣṇa is always above the effect of karma. He resides in His spiritual abode, when He …, far beyond this material world. When He comes down to this material world, then He is also beyond the per-view of the material laws. He chooses who He wants to have as His parents. And He comes down when He wants. When He leaves, He goes. In the meantime, He is not under the dictation of the material energy.

 So, when Kṛṣṇa came 5000 years ago, then He was openly coming as the Supreme Person. So therefore, sometimes to show example, He would follow some rules and regulations. Sometimes, He would show that He is beyond rules and regulations, and do something which no ordinary person could do.

Just like He told His parents to stop worshiping the different demigods and simply worship Govardhan, being non-different from the Supreme Lord. So, when He did that, the demigods became angry, and Lord Indra sent down a huge flood. We all know how He lifted up Giri Govardhan and protected all the devotees, by lifting up the huge mountain on His little finger at the age of seven.

 Kṛṣṇa, whether He is a small baby, whether He is seven years old or whether He is ten years old or whatever age He may be, He has the same spiritual unlimited potency. This is different from those in the material world, who may achieve some perfection after practicing yoga. Kṛṣṇa is always perfect.

So Kṛṣṇa came, five hundred years ago in disguise or in a hidden way, in a covered way so as not to reveal Himself to the world. Because He came in the part, in the role as a devotee of Himself. Just as a teacher sometimes shows the student. Just like the driving teacher takes over the wheels and he show you this, “You drive the car this way, that way,” and then he says to the students, “Now you drive.”

So, Lord Caitanya came to show, this is how to practice Bhakti yoga. This is how to follow the principles of Bhagavad gītā - “You see how I am doing. Now you do.” But sometimes, He’ll do things which others could not do. He generally disguised Himself.

 Just as He came, of course there was a full moon day, and there was an eclipse that day.

So, in India, people usually are habituated in chanting – “HariBol!” and “Hare Kṛṣṇa!” during the time of the full moon eclipse. So, Lord Caitanya, when He appeared, everyone was chanting, because His mission was to give this chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa to the world.

So, when He was a small baby...Normally you know how baby sometimes they cry. So, the parents, they lift the baby up, rock the baby, and pat. Then gradually, the baby falls asleep.

Now Caitanya Mahāprabhu, no matter what you did, He goes on crying, more and more. They didn’t know how to get Him to stop crying.

So finally, someone started to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, immediately (audience laugh) smiling, He stopped crying. So, then they told, “Very nice!” Then He stopped. Then they’d also stop chanting. “Nnaaahhh!!!!” (cries like a baby)

Immediately starts crying (audience laugh). So, they had to continue. The fact that they actually kept people there on rotation, constantly chanting. Because some ladies in the neighborhood...Otherwise as soon as you stop, He’d start crying. So, this way He made the family constantly have 24-hour kīrtan, except, when He was asleep. And they have constant chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa!

So, when Lord Caitanya was just, say about two years old or so, He was running around. He can run. Sometimes, He’d run out in the street and just gone. The parents had to go and bring Him back. But... He had nice gold ornaments, gold earrings, gold necklace. Although, His parents were Brāhmaṇas, but they got very good dakshina from their students. So, they gave their child, their beloved child some nice ornaments.

When Lord Caitanya was... One day He ran out in the streets, seeing the people. Then two thieves were there. They looked at Him. Then, they said, “Look there. This is our chance. This is gold ornaments.” They said, “Yes!”

 So, it’s going to be like picking a candy from a baby. So, they came up and they said, “Hey! I am your uncle! How are you my little nephew? Come here, sit on my lap. I want to give you some sweets. (inaudible) Here take some sweets. You come with us. We are your uncles. You come and visit our house. You’d like to come? We’d give you lots of sweet meat!”

 “Okay!” Lord Caitanya said.

 So, they picked up Lord Caitanya, and they start running. So, playing with Him all the time, “Hey, my dear friend, my dear nephew, dear uncle, how are You today? We are going to Your uncle’s house.”

Like that, they started talking. So, then Lord Caitanya, He went along with them. Putting on their shoulder, they are running. People are saying, who is that young boy going with these men. There are so many people in Navadwip, literally millions of people, that nobody paid too much of attention. So, the whole time, they are just thinking, “How we are going to get Lord Caitanya’s gold. We are going to take away His gold.”

Then, on the way, Lord Caitanya said, “I am getting hungry. When are we going to get there?”. So, then they got Him some fruit or something, and they kept running. And then, this way they talked. They just put Him down, gave Him some fruit or something, talk to each other, put Him back on their shoulders and again they are running.

In the meantime, Śacī mata, Jagannath Miśra, they are worse,

where did He go?

Where is Nimāi?

Where is our baby?

They went looking everywhere. They couldn’t find Him. They looked in the street. So, they were looking all over. They told the neighbors. Everyone starts looking. Where did He go? He disappeared.

In the meantime, Lord Caitanya put His Mahā Māyā over these two thieves, as they were running and running and running. Finally, they came back, and they ran right into Jagannath Mishra’s house, courtyard. But they thought they are in their own house. They actually thought, “Now here we are. We got him.”

 They put down the boy, ready to take His ornaments. As soon as they left Lord Caitanya off, then the Mahā Māyā cut. They looked, they saw, “We are in the same place we started from!” (audience: “Okay!” laugh). Then they saw the parents, they then “Oh! You got our boy back!” They went and picked Him up, you know.

 And then, those two thieves ran for it. But they thought, “Oh! These are such a nice gentleman. They came, brought our boy back. His luck.” They ran you know in case somebody... Thieves are always afraid. Someone was saying that, when… Who was it yesterday was saying that Prabhupāda... (audience try to answer)?

Iit was on the tape. Prabhupāda was going, and was with some policemen, and he saw that some people are running away. Said, “Why those people are running?”

 So, they said, ” You see, you are an honest person. So, when you see the police, you don’t feel anything. But when the criminals see the police, they run. They think that they are going after them. But we don’t have anything…. We can’t just arrest them for running. We have to have some... some evidence on them. But still when they see the police, they just start running.”

So, like that, these people, they didn’t realize that nobody suspected that they stole Nimāi pandit. and so…, baby Nimāi, baby Caitanya Mahāprabhu. They ran anyway. And actually, as soon as they got away, they embraced each other and said “Phew! We are saved by God! (audience laugh) We are saved by the Devī, saved us from getting caught.” (laughter).

 How they got back to the same place, that was a bit confusing for them. But then over all, they got away without being caught. They were very happy. So, they thought God had saved us. So, somehow, they got this great fortune that they were able to carry God on their shoulder.

 So, Kṛṣṇa, even though, Caitanya Mahāprabhu being Kṛṣṇa, He is always in control the whole time. So, this is the nature of the Lord that He is always in control. But He is able to play the perfect part that He is just a perfect child, perfect friend, perfect master, perfect lover, whichever...perfect husband; whatever part He plays, He plays perfect.

 He is doing this on His own free will. He is not under the laws of karma. So, if somebody takes shelter of Kṛṣṇa, then automatically they also transcend the laws of the material world. Therefore, we chant Kṛṣṇa’s name,

nāma-cintāmaṇe kṛṣṇa caitanya-rasa-vigraha pūrṇa śuddha nitya muktā- abhinnātvam naama namino

(inaudible) Kṛṣṇa’s name are non-different. Even accidentally chanting His name, one can get freed from sins from many births. And even by imperfectly chanting, one can achieve liberation. By meditating on the impersonal Brahman for many many... for a long time, still one is not able to eradicate the prārabdha karma or the primordial karma. But by chanting of the holy name, the prārabdha karma or primordial karma, is destroyed.

 Nārada Muni explained that when the end of Brahmā’s day came, everyone was brought back into the body of Vishnu and all the conditioned souls became dormant. They lost their ghost bodies and the spirit simply went back into the body of the Mahavisnu.

But there is some subtle prārabdha karmas, some subtle type of karmic etchings which are there on the soul, which even when you realize Brahman or not, they are not eradicated. So again, the new creation began, and the souls began in their karma where they left off, from those fine codes. Like we have the DNA code, there is the karmic code. So, this is called the prārabdha karmic codes.

But by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, one’s spiritual form is gradually becomes manifest and these prārabdha karmas are wiped away. So, these chanting of the name of Kṛṣṇa is more effective than being realized in the impersonal Brahman.

So, this gift is given by Caitanya Mahāprabhu that we can chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. We can achieve the shelter of Kṛṣṇa very easily.

Actually, the residents of Vrindavan, they are always chanting the names of Kṛṣṇa. For them it’s a daily festival. Even though they are all considered as liberated souls, nitya siddhas, they are also always chanting the name of Kṛṣṇa.

In fact, Rūpa Goswami explained in his Kṛṣṇa Naama Aṣṭakam, that there are two forms. Kṛṣṇa exists in two forms. There is His līlā form which is visible when He has His manifested pastimes, and He is performing various pastimes. And then there is the names which describe various pastimes, or His audible form as Shabda Brahman.

 So, of the two, he considers that the form of the Holy Name, that He is more merciful. Because His name is such that if you worship the form of the deity in the temple, and you commit some offense to counteract it t you should chant the holy name. That means that the name of Kṛṣṇa is more merciful than the form of Kṛṣṇa.

Therefore, we should always remember the holy name and pray to the Holy Name to forgive us for our offenses. Because, there is no one more merciful than the Holy Name. If you offend the deity, you can pray to the Holy Name to get forgiven. But if you offend Kṛṣṇa, if you surrender to a Vaiṣṇava, then Kṛṣṇa will also forgive you. But if you offend a Vaiṣṇava, you have to go to a Vaiṣṇava, and have to beg forgiveness.

 Just like Durvāsā Muni had to go to Ambarīṣa Maharaj. So, if we offend the Holy Name, we have to go to the Holy Name and request the Holy Name to kindly forgive you. Therefore, we should surrender to the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa Mahāmantra, which is the more merciful form of the Lord. We should be careful, trying to avoid offenses to the holy name. But if someone is afraid, says, “Well, I shouldn’t chant because I might commit offense”.

The only way to get rid of committing an offense is to go on chanting the holy name, more and more. Because, by chanting, that will get rid of the offense. So, by the mercy of the holy name… These are special opportunity we have in this age of Kali that Kṛṣṇa has come as Caitanya Mahāprabhu, has given us the holy name.

 This holy name is chanted by great liberated soul like Nārada Muni, the life and soul of his Veena. We can take shelter of the Holy Name wherever we are, whatever we are doing. Simply by remembering and chanting the Holy Name, we can remain in the transcendental platform. So, now even though Kṛṣṇa... Lord Caitanya’s pastimes, are only visible to a rare few great liberated soul, but everyone can get the same opportunity of associating with the Lord by chanting His Holy Name.

Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare

Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare

(the entire audience joins in).

Hare Kṛṣṇa!

How is everyone?

Any question?

 His Holiness Bhakti vrajendranandana Swami: (inaudible 16:37 to 16:49)

His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami: Then, we have to chant more.

His Holiness Bhakti vrajendranandana Swami: But still, we are going on committing offenses

His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami: By chanting, then eventually, we will get over the offenses.

His Holiness Bhakti vrajendranandana Swami: We commit offenses to the Vaiṣṇavas, you know.

His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami: You try to avoid the offenses. You go on chanting, but you try to avoid the offenses.

His Holiness Bhakti vrajendranandana Swami: Then we are chanting and going on committing offenses [Not Clear – 00:16:59]

His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami: You should try to avoid that. The strength to get over the offenses, to stop those offenses, that will come by chanting. One has to have the desire not to commit any offense and same time you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa!

Any other question?

Mahārāja is asking when is Prasādam?  (audience laugh)

(inaudible 17.55) Eternal time! You see that they get the opportunity to be Kṛṣṇa conscious in this lifetime, so that they can get back to home, back to Godhead. Not again they have to take another birth. They... Prabhupāda considered them as very special children, not ordinary.

(break) There is no rule. You can chant it slowly. You can chant it fast. You can chant it while walking. You can chant it while sitting. The point is that you should chant, and you hear. Somebody mechanically chanting and not hearing, they won’t get the effect. They have to hear.

 It’s not that one has to chant it in some mechanical way in the same intonation.  You can go on… We sing hundreds and thousands of tunes of Hare Kṛṣṇa! Sometimes, it’s amazing how many new tunes come up. Ha ha! (Mahārāja laughs). So, there is no ehh... In that sense, it’s not mechanical. Mechanical means, it’s simply machine like. So, it doesn’t have to. If somebody is chanting like that, that’s a … they appear like that, but that’s not a recommended. We can go on chanting in a different way. The main thing is to hear. To Chant and to Hear!

The thing is that the prāṇāyāma, you can predict that we have to do in a certain way. If this way it’s going to happen, (inaudible)you can say whether or not your mind is.. in one sense it’s correct that both are predictable. What’s the meaning of mechanical? Mechanical mean that you have to do the Haṭha Yoga. You have to do all the things, pranayam. Then you have to… Physically you have to move the living force.

It’s all done through the direct will power. That’s the way, certain kind of people who don’t have faith or dependence or knowledge about the Supreme Lord, they like the process. The whole thing is under their control or they appear, or they think that it’s all under their control.

But when you are chanting, you don’t know what is the it’s nothing that apart from chanting and hearing. The effect that are happening, the purification that is going on, this is out of your control. Only thing in your control is your chanting and you’re listening. And you are bringing your mind back, but everything else is going on. That you cannot say, how it’s going on.

The prāṇāyāma yogi, he can tell, “Now I moved my ātmā from the heart down to the kuṇḍalinī chakra. Now it’s going up to this chakra to that chakra, up to seven chakras, now I am placing it between my eyes. Now, I will go to Indra loka.” (makes sound as though moving) pushhh and he can go to Indra loka.

Everything is directly under his will power. But the devotee is chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa and putting himself under the care of Kṛṣṇa. He goes far faster and with less difficulty than that yogi. That yogi when he is trying to put his soul just between his eyes. If he gets a little distracted... some apsarā walks by with her ankle bells ringing, or if some distraction is there, then the soul pops out of his eyeball, or it comes out of his ears. He’ll die on the spot.

He has to be thoroughly trained by his guru who is a ... And to do this type of meditation you have to be... Don’t think that you can do that sitting in a living room with the kids listening to the video in the next room, and they come in bouncing the ball. And you are there, you just trying to put the soul up between the eyeballs, and they come in and pop it goes out. (audience laugh)

It doesn’t work like that. They go in some hidden cave. They don’t see anybody, and nobody is around. They are deep in samādhi. There is no distraction. Doesn’t take 10 minutes. They are working for years and years and years of meditation. Then finally they get to that state. They are also not so easily disturbed.

Again, I am dramatizing. But then the idea… They don’t just suddenly in just 10, 5 minutes, they just sit down in the living room - Oṁ!  chk. (makes a sound as though the soul reaches its destination) (inaudible 21:56) No, they are meditating for a long time. They are very serious. But we make a kind of a mockery of the whole thing. They tell people, “You meditate like this, you’ll be able to achieve the highest perfection.” (inaudible 22:04) Little effect is there, but it’s very slow and very tedious. But the whole thing, why they like it - it’s all under their will power. So, they feel that “I am the doer”. Because of that they have to suffer a lot.

While the devotee, he considers that whatever advancement I am making is all by the mercy of Kṛṣṇa. Of course, you can predict, that a person will go through these stages and make these advancements. There are different milestones along the way, and the person can recognize which level I am on. That’s all there. It’s not that it’s not systematic. But the system is totally different.

So, those people who are a little proud, who are a little ego centric, that they don’t... they think that “I am not going to depend on anyone else.” They don’t see that by depending on the Supreme Lord, they are actually truly independent. Depending on yourself means that you are depending on the fallible soldiers: the mind, the senses, intelligence. These can all fail one. They are not infallible.

The histories of great yogis like Vishwamitra and others show that how the mind, and the senses can often fail one. But the devotees who completely depend on Kṛṣṇa by chanting His Holy Name, they are actually independent of all these material fallible soldiers. Because they are depending on Achyuta. Achyuta means the infallible.

In the neophyte stage, when someone doesn’t have… You see, the first stage is called the vidhi mārga. Vidhi mārga means following the rules and regulations. Those rules and regulations are performed by a neophyte in devotional service or bhakti yoga, even in a somewhat mechanical way. Because they don’t have a taste yet for spiritual life. They haven’t got a deep or a profound realization.

 So, they are told,” You rise in the morning. You attend this Maṅgala ārati. You do this type of sādhana practice. You chant.” So, he is doing it. But he may not always get a complete realization from that. So, the beginning stage, it’s a little mechanical because we don’t …., we are in a diseased condition. We are in a polluted condition, where we haven’t yet fully awakened to our full spiritual potential.

So, in the beginning, we perform these different practices of devotion, according to certain set guidelines. Someone can say,” Well those guidelines are somewhat mechanical”. In the beginning that is there because this is the nature, and unless we do that, unless we get purified, we cannot come up to the higher level. But in the beginning, although it’s slightly mechanical, very soon one comes up to what’s known as the spontaneous level.

 First level, if those rules and regulations become spontaneous, one starts to like those. They start to get strength from that. And so, one doesn’t have to tell such Kṛṣṇa by chanting His Holy Name, they are actually independent of all these material fallible soldiers. Because they are depending on Achyuta. Achyuta means the infallible.

In the neophyte stage, when someone doesn’t have… You see, the first stage is called the vidhi mārga. Vidhi mārga means following the rules and regulations. Those rules and regulations are performed by a neophyte in devotional service or bhakti yoga, even in a somewhat mechanical way. Because they don’t have a taste yet for spiritual life. They haven’t got a deep or a profound realization.

 So, they are told,” You rise in the morning. You attend this Maṅgala ārati. You do this type of sādhana practice. You chant.” So, he is doing it. But he may not always get a complete realization from that. So, the beginning stage, it’s a little mechanical because we don’t …., we are in a diseased condition. We are in a polluted condition, where we haven’t yet fully awakened to our full spiritual potential.

So, in the beginning, we perform these different practices of devotion, according to certain set guidelines. Someone can say,” Well those guidelines are somewhat mechanical”. In the beginning that is there because this is the nature, and unless we do that, unless we get purified, we cannot come up to the higher level. But in the beginning, although it’s slightly mechanical, very soon one comes up to what’s known as the spontaneous level.

 First level, if those rules and regulations become spontaneous, one starts to like those. They start to get strength from that. And so, one doesn’t have to tell such

a person, “All right, you have to get up for the Maṅgalārati. You have to get... chant your Hare Kṛṣṇa.” They automatically will do it, spontaneously. They want to do it. They enjoy doing it. So, the first level, they might not get a lot of enjoyment from it.

It’s said in the Bhagavad-Gītā, that spiritual life in the beginning… Things in the sattva guṇa in the beginning, they seem bitter like poison. But in the end, they become sweet like nectar. But things in the mode of passion, they seem to be just nectar, sweet like honey, in the beginning. But in the end, they become bitter like poison.

There are many examples, but… So then, in the beginning and they seem, “Oh chanting, I am not getting so much out of it.” But if one goes on chanting, for a month or two, even though it seems a little mechanical. After some time, one starts to evolve higher and higher devotional service. Especially by chanting the names of

“Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, Prabhu Nityānanda, Śrī Advaita, Gadadhar, Śrī Vasadi Gaura Bhakta Vṛndā”.

The special blessing, they give is that they help to take one above the mechanical platform. Although, physically one may mechanically be following or... following a system of devotion known as ‘Vidhi mārga’ or ‘sādhana bhakti’, the practice of devotional service.

So, we have a system called ‘Kṛṣṇa sadhak’ for those who are starting to do the practice, by chanting eight rounds a day and practicing and doing this thing. A person might not always get tremendous ecstasy from that. Although some might. But, by doing it you get purified - ceto darpaṇa mārjanam.

Lord Caitanya stressed we have to purify the consciousness. By purifying the consciousness, then the natural, Sacidananda, the natural happiness of performing devotional service becomes manifest.

Then, next stage is spontaneously one who do these practices, the stage after that is known as ‘rāgānugā’ where one… mind is spontaneously attracted to Kṛṣṇa. Where spontaneously one... as soon as Kṛṣṇa Kathā, or discussions about Kṛṣṇa, the mind immediately gets locked. Just like as soon as there is some news broadcast, or there is some sports, something. some sports fan might get fixed, “Oh! What’s that, who won the Cricket game?”

Just like this we become attached to different material things. But nobody can keep their consciousness fixed on one thing, because nothing materially is ultimately satisfying. So, they all have to come up with newer things. Because Kṛṣṇa is all attractive, and He Himself is always new – “nava yauvanaṁ ca”.

Therefore, once you develop your taste for Kṛṣṇa, you don’t have to look anywhere else. Kṛṣṇa, Himself is always new and fresh. In that stage rāgānugā bhakti is the goal.

When one is practicing Rāgānugā Bhakti, then from there they can come up to the platform of pure Kṛṣṇa prema, or pure love for Kṛṣṇa. And then one is considered to be totally liberated from the influence of the material world. So, in the beginning stages, it may appear like that, slightly mechanical. But one can very quickly cross over those …(break) I think it was Ravi Lochana…

 In the beginning, one should put on more, more force is needed to take off. Once you are in the air, then we don’t have to have the engines going. Isn’t it? To take off, we need extra force is there - maximum force. Once you are in the air, you can leave it. You can still fly.

So, just to get to the beginning, are you in illusion, because we are attached to these material things. We don’t have a taste for spiritual life because we are just as in sleep. To wake us up, “jīv jāgo,” to bring up the spiritual force into play again. So, in the beginning we know it’s mechanical, we just do it. It’s the order of Guru. Do it the sense of duty - have to chant every day, have to offer my food to Kṛṣṇa, have to do my devotional service. And by doing that, then one reaches a point where it becomes just almost automatic. Just a little bit of effort, and finally it becomes totally natural and has no mechanical aspect to it at all.

 Devotee: (inaudible 29.45) that’s one thing. Why were they imprisoned (inaudible)?

His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami: There were times, that Vasudev was out of prison. Sometimes, you know, Kaṁsa very...  One time… (inaudible) The minister said, “No, kill him anyway.”

Kaṁsa had different mood. Whether sometimes Vāsudeva was allowed visitors or not, you know. Devakī and him were more or less, off and on in prison.  But to what extent, we don’t know that. Have to go into the whole history (inaudible) Because even from what we have seen in Kṛṣṇa book, that off and on Kaṁsa did vary in his moods.

Sometimes he was driving a chariot for Devakī. Sometimes he was trying to kill her. So, he had this different mood.  After all Devakī was his sister. Sometimes he thought, well he was convinced that “My sister and brother-in-law live alright.”  Sometimes he was totally petrified, and he’s demoniac.

 So, that’s why I said, these materialistic people, they may sometimes show some very good qualities of compassion and kindness and fairness and justice and so on. They may show all these good qualities. But then, as soon as they become convinced that their own sense gratification, their own personal interest is going to be infringed upon, then they can forget all kinds of moral and just consideration, and they can do anything.

That’s why I said, that ultimately, a materialist even though he has all good qualities, ultimate issue, his good qualities are not worth anything. Because ultimately, he can do anything. It’s said even a devotee, even if he has... you see some bad qualities in a devotee, ultimately... Even if a devotee sometimes does a mistake or makes… has a fall down or difficulties, but ultimately because a devotee is committed to surrender to Kṛṣṇa. The ultimate issue, by Kṛṣṇa’s mercy, may overcome these difficulties. And he’ll be situated rightly.

Just like Parikshit maharaj, he put a dead snake on a (inaudible) sage’s neck, who was actually in Samādhi. He didn’t... Parikshit thought maybe he is imitating; he is not treating me. Kṛṣṇa put some Mahāmāyā on him. So, then he did this offense to that sage.

Someone can say that “Well, look at. What kind of King is he? What kind of devotee is he? He got angry, thirsty and he just put the snake?”

 But it’s said that, when this happens, sometimes Kṛṣṇa just puts the devotee in difficulty. Sometimes, as a great devotee... sometime... Maybe he is not so great devotee, but needs to learn by making some mistake. Sometimes, you tell a child, “Don’t do it! Don’t do it! Sometimes you just have to give a smack on his hand (makes the slapping sound). To that, he’ll realize, “Oh! This is something that I shouldn’t do!”

 So sometimes Kṛṣṇa, He gives repeated warnings that Guru wants, and somehow this person doesn’t listen; then he may also have to undergo some reaction of what he is doing, which is not under the shelter of Guru and Kṛṣṇa. If you are working always under shelter, then it’s not a problem. If someone is misbehaving, sometimes they get swatted.

 But the thing is even if we think, “Well that person, we have to reject him or...” No! Even that person has got some reaction, or that person has to get some effect there, because they are devotees eventually Kṛṣṇa will rightly situate them. For the materialist, even for a while if they are good, eventually they are going to lose everything because of their ove bearing desire for simply enjoying sense gratifications.

So, ultimately, they are sacrificed, even though for a while they might have some moral standards. That’s why you can’t depend on these world powers. They may say, “Let’s have the talk. Let’s have peace. Lets’ reduce our.. We have now another anartha… We have nuclear warheads to destroy each other 150 times over, let’s reduce it so that we can only destroy each other 50 times over.”

You see, all this rhetoric, I mean, what is it?

Even if we destroy each other once over, is more than enough. But they have enough nuclear warheads to destroy each other hundreds of times over. If we calculate, what one bomb can do, they have… all they need is 20 bombs, and they can destroy half of the whole country. So, they have got hundreds and thousands of these warheads. So, with multiple, it’s not one but multiple and multiple, multiple. So, they are talking about reducing a few.

You can’t depend on them. Unless, if they are really God-conscious, how can we really depend? At any time, if they think that,” It’s going against me; we are gonna lose our position. If we don’t act now, in the future our world power will be lost, then everything will…”  So then anything they can do.  They see that communism is going too far, one side can do. You see capitalism is going too far, other side can do. You can’t depend on them.

Because ultimately unless they are god conscious, there are no other moral considerations for a materialist than his own self-interest. For a devotee, even sometime he may have a fall down, but ultimately, he sees that “Well, I have to serve Kṛṣṇa.” So Kṛṣṇa leads him on the right path.

So, like that Kaṁsa being a total materialist, even though sometimes he did show some good quality, ultimately issue, he would act demonically. Sometimes demons, they also...they are also   always not have that cover. They make mistakes like anybody else.

First thing is that let’s kill his sister as she had no children, so what’s the problem? Kill her! Kill her! So that’s totally demonic. So, the society, the society was saying, “How can you kill your sister?” So, like this, the society was saying, “How can you keep husband and wife apart? It’s as good as killing them”. So, they offered, we’ll give you the eighth child. So, they somehow or other reached to agree.

Tags: perfection of bhakti yoga, Nāma Cintamani, Kṛṣṇa/ Caitanya is supreme, Clarification on Kaṁsa’s action